Critical Care Newsline — September 16, 2010

Critical Care Newsline, the electronic newsletter from the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses, contains information selected just for you by our clinical practice experts. In each issue, you’ll find links to resources, research abstracts (individual sites may require registration and a fee to access complete articles) and websites that will keep you informed on issues affecting nurses and the nursing profession.

2. CALL TO ACTION Submit AACN grant proposals by Oct. 1
Submit proposals for AACN 2011 grants by Oct. 1. New this year is the AACN Impact Research Grant, designed to support experienced clinicians and researchers in inquiry and systematic research and generate new knowledge. Learn more.

3. NEWS HHS launches national website for disaster volunteers
On Sept. 7, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Washington, D.C., launched a website for the Emergency System for Advance Registration of Volunteer Health Professionals (ESAR-VHP) to verify health professionals’ credentials so they can respond quickly to a disaster. “Volunteering to help those in need during a disaster is an incredible act of compassion and ESAR-VHP helps us get volunteers in place when they can make the biggest impact,” says Nicole Lurie, HHS’ assistant secretary for preparedness and response.

4. NEWS AACN members receive discount on ultrasound course
The American Institute of Ultrasound in Medicine (AIUM), Laurel, Md., offers AACN members the AIUM nonphysician member registration rate for “Cutting-Edge Applications for Point-of-Care Ultrasound,” which takes place Nov. 6-7 before AIUM’s Ultrasound Practice Forum 2010, Orlando. The course focuses on critical care, anesthesia and emergency medicine. AACN will participate in the forum. Learn more and register.

5. NEWS STTI salutes nurse researchers during September
In September, the Honor Society of Nursing, Sigma Theta Tau International (STTI), Indianapolis, salutes nurses dedicated to advancing nursing research. Week 1 features the complimentary Registry of Nursing Research database of the Virginia Henderson International Nursing Library.

9. CALL TO ACTION Comment on AHRQ’s draft report on C. difficile infections by Sept. 20
The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality’s (AHRQ’s), Rockville, Md., draft report “Effectiveness of Screening and Treatment of C. difficile Infections” reviews and synthesizes evidence on these infections in adult patients. Comment on the report by Sept. 20.

10. CALL TO ACTION Apply for AACN’s NIWI scholarship by Nov. 1
For the second year, AACN offers scholarships for the Nurse in Washington Internship (NIWI) program — sponsored by the Nursing Organizations Alliance — Sunday, March 13, to Tuesday, March 15, 2011, in Washington, D.C. The three-day internship teaches healthcare professionals how to advance healthcare agendas on local, state and national levels through legislative processes. Applicants must be AACN members and accepted by the NIWI program. The deadline is Nov. 1. Learn more at www.nursing-alliance.org and www.aacn.org/niwi.

11. NEWS Latest AACN procedure manual expands patient-safety, infection-control coverage
The evidence-based “AACN Procedure Manual for Critical Care,” 6th edition, increases its focus on patient safety and infection control with an easy-to-use format, intervention rationales, clear identification of advanced practice procedures and new icons that highlight key procedures related to requirements of The Joint Commission, Oakbrook Terrace, Ill., and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta. Each procedure includes AACN’s levels of evidence and comprehensive references.

If your hospital, unit or chapter has successfully implemented certification best practices — strategies to encourage, recognize and reward certification — submit your certification story online by Sept. 30. AACN will select the two most innovative practices for panel presentation during the “Creating a Culture of Certification: Best Practices Roundtable” at the 2011 NTI. AACN Certification Corporation accepts best-practice submissions, which it posts online, year-round.

13. CLINICAL PRACTICE RESOURCESPatient safety
“Value of Human Factors to Medication and Patient Safety in the Intensive Care Unit” in June’s Critical Care Medicine states that human factor science “provides a framework for understanding safety failures in critical care settings, offers insights into how to improve medication and patient safety, and reminds us that the ‘human factor’ in critical care units” allows these life-or-death environments to function so safely so much of the time.

Resource
September’s Critical Care Medicine includes “Alcohol Withdrawal Syndromes in the Intensive Care Unit,” a review of pathophysiology, diagnosis and treatment. “In addition to adequate supportive care, benzodiazepines administered in a symptom-triggered fashion, guided by the Clinical Institute Withdrawal Assessment of Alcohol scale, revised (CIWA-Ar), still seem to be the optimal strategy in the intensive care unit,” it states.

This month’s Bold Voice, Gloria McNeal
Learn more in the September issue of AACN Bold Voices.

Contract protocol for chaptersAACN chapters must submit all contracts — such as speakers, caterers, grants, exhibitors and facility rental — to the AACN national office for review and approval before signing. This helps to ensure the chapter is protected. Learn more.

Learn at home with E-Learning
Develop your clinical knowledge, anytime, anywhere with the three AACN E-Learning courses, available for individual purchase. “The Preceptor Challenge” and the award-winning “Promoting Excellence in Palliative & End-of-Life Care” feature simulations of real-life experiences. “Essentials of Nurse Manager Orientation” helps new and experienced managers expand their management competencies. More information and pricing.

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